Before adding chemicals to recreational water such as that held in swimming pools and spas, it is important to test the water for residual amounts of specific chemicals such as chlorine and for other parameters such as hardness, ph, etc. In taking such samples, it is desired to take the sample at a depth at which there might be an average sample. Previously, one would hold a finger over a sample bottle, hold the sample bottle beneath the surface, remove the finger, letting water enter the sample bottle, recover the bottle with the finger, remove the bottle then test the water in the bottle. This method can test the water slightly below the surface, but not at a median level for most applications. Furthermore, the person taking the sample needs to bend down and they will get their hand and arm wet, something that is not pleasant when wearing long sleeve shirts, etc.
Likewise, water samples are often taken in streams, rivers and lakes where it is also desirable to sample at a specific depth. In such environments, it is sometimes dangerous to insert one's hand and arm into the water to take such samples due to wildlife present in the water body (e.g., alligators, snakes, leaches and sharks).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,023 to Kershner has a recreational pool implement that includes a water sample device. The described device includes a pole with a cavity for accepting a sample container near an insertion end. The sample end is inserted into the pool water, thereby filling the container with pool water, and then the pole is removed from the water to test the water. This patent is hereby incorporated by reference. This patent does not disclose a remote control flapper that keeps water out of the container until the container is at the desired sample depth.
What is needed is a device that will take a liquid sample at a desired depth without requiring the user to insert a body part into the liquid.